Meghan Markle’s gravely ill father has issued a heartbreaking final appeal to the daughter who has not spoken to him for more than six years.

From his hospital bed in the Philippines, 81-year-old Thomas Markle pleaded:
“I don’t want to die estranged. I just want to see Meghan one more time before I go.”

His emotional message comes just days after doctors were forced to amputate his left leg below the knee in a desperate, life-saving operation — after a massive blood clot cut off circulation and turned his foot black with infection.

And despite reports that Meghan had “reached out,” Mr Markle insists he has received no call, no message, and no contact at all from his famous daughter.

“They Told Me It Was Life or Death”

Mr Markle was rushed into emergency surgery at a hospital in Cebu on Wednesday night after doctors warned the infection was spreading rapidly.

One surgeon, speaking with Mr Markle’s permission, said bluntly:
“If we had not amputated immediately, he would not have survived. This was a life-or-death operation.”

The clot in his thigh stretched more than a foot long. Had the infection travelled to his heart, doctors say, he would almost certainly have died.

Although now stable in intensive care, staff stress he is “not out of the woods.” Doctors describe the next few days as critical.

“I Kept My Number So She Could Always Call”

From his hospital room, guarded against paparazzi and monitored around the clock, Mr Markle said he was “confused and hurt” by claims that Meghan had contacted him.

He told the Mail on Sunday:
“I never changed my phone number because I always wanted Meg to be able to reach me. But she hasn’t called. Not once.”

With his express permission, the newspaper confirmed with hospital administrators, ICU nurses, and reception staff that no call had been received from Meghan or anyone acting for her.

A hospital insider said:
“He is a VIP patient here — if the Duchess had contacted us, everyone would know.”

A spokesman for the Sussexes later said Meghan sent an email — but it was reportedly sent to an address Mr Markle has not used for more than five years.

“I Want to Meet My Grandchildren Before It’s Too Late”

Weak but lucid, Mr Markle spoke quietly about his deepest regret:
“I love Meghan. I always have. I just want to meet my grandkids — Archie and Lilibet — and maybe Harry too. Before it’s too late.”

Prince Harry has never met his father-in-law. Mr Markle has never held his grandchildren.

His voice broke as he added:
“I don’t want to leave this world without seeing my family again.”

A Life Hanging by a Thread

Thomas Markle has endured years of failing health.

Two heart attacks before Meghan’s 2018 wedding

A devastating stroke in 2022 that robbed him of speech

And now the catastrophic amputation that has changed his life forever

As doctors changed the bandages on his stump for the first time, he attempted gallows humour:
“I wanted to lose weight… just not like this.”

But later his fear surfaced:
“I wake up at night worried. I’ve always been independent. I don’t know how I’ll cope without a leg.”

He will require months of rehabilitation — if he survives the coming weeks.

A Painful Irony

As Thomas lay fighting for his life, Meghan was simultaneously promoting the glossy Christmas special of her Netflix series — a show built around family, love, and togetherness.

From the locked ICU corridor in Cebu, decorated with a single plastic Christmas wreath, the contrast could not have been more stark.

His Final Words

Despite everything, Mr Markle remains grateful to the medical team who saved his life — and to the thousands of people around the world praying for him.

But his last words to his daughter remain simple — and devastating:

“Meg, please. I don’t want to die estranged.”